


Who We Kiss in the Shadows

by Jackie_Gaytona



Series: In The Shadows [1]
Category: What We Do in the Shadows (TV)
Genre: Angst, Birthday, Cute, First Kiss, Fluff, Hurt, M/M, celebration, grumpy guillermo, i cant ship these two enough, nadja's terrible singing, nando tries feelings, nervous nandor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:35:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24433663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jackie_Gaytona/pseuds/Jackie_Gaytona
Summary: It hit Guillermo then like a ton of bricks, and he almost kicked himself off the bench for not realising it earlier. Or maybe he had realised, but was too caught up in himself to fully acknowledge it: Nandor was a warrior. All he’d known in both lives was killing and pillaging and violently feeding on human prey. He very rarely spoke of his many wives or children, and when he did it was very matter-of-fact; not peppered with endearments or fond memories. He never alluded to more recent relationships, vampiric or human. He was a killing machine born and raised, and killing machines had no time for love or sweet words. Nandor was emotionally constipated. (Excerpt from upcoming Chapter 5)AKA it’s Guillermo’s birthday, and Nandor has something special planned. Unfortunately, Nandor is terrible at planning.
Relationships: Guillermo/Nandor the Relentless (What We Do in the Shadows TV)
Series: In The Shadows [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1771906
Comments: 77
Kudos: 306





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I had to get this little fic typed up. It was only going to be a one-chapter thing but... EDIT: it's now going to be 6+ chapters because I'm obsessing.
> 
> The story takes place after season 2, episode 8, so there are slight spoilers and obviously will diverge from future episodes unless my Nandermo dreams come true and I'm psychic. It's supposed to take place 4 months after that episode...but it's still winter in this story. Because snow is romantic. Just blame my Australianness for having backward seasons and not even really knowing what year it is.

It had been four months since Nandor’s promise of turning Guillermo, but Guillermo was nothing if not patient. After all, he _had_ promised – really promised, this time; Guillermo was sure of it after the way he’d finally stood up for himself. He had seen the concern in Nandor’s eyes and had noticed the way he’d worried his lips with his fangs like he did when he was nervous.

He had spent many years, countless nights alone in bed, staring at the bottom of a rotted damp staircase, wondering why his master was so hesitant to turn him. Was it some secret vampire code? Something written in an ancient book of Vampire Terms & Conditions? Or was it something more personal? Was he afraid that Guillermo would leave once he became a vampire? Surely not; his master could find a new familiar easily. Drag them into his clutches with promises of immortal life, unintentionally charming them with his cute, uncertain smile.

Guillermo’s heart clenched with anxiety and longing every time he thought about it. If only he knew the reason behind Nandor’s hesitation; if only he was sure that it was because Nandor would miss him – then he could tell him that, vampire or not, he’d never leave his side. Many of those sleepless nights he’d leapt out of bed with a newfound courage, had slid his curtain back and stepped out into the hallway, determined to pronounce his dedication and affection to his master. To finally tell him how he really felt. But regardless of how Nandor felt towards him, Guillermo knew the reaction would be the same. At best, Nandor would grimace and stiffly walk away, and there would be awkwardness after that. At worst, he would do the same thing, but then promptly kick Guillermo out.

Was it worth the risk? Or was it better to just live his life hoping that every tomorrow, his master would finally bestow on him the gift he’d been pining over for a third of his life?

Tomorrow was Guillermo’s thirtieth birthday. Technically he was in the prime of his life now, even if he’d not done much with it so far. As a teenager he’d been far more awkward, larger, uncertain of himself. After becoming Nandor’s familiar he matured, lost some weight thanks to all the physical activity (dusting while perched on Nandor’s palms, dragging bodies all over the house) … and he was happier. Despite the way Nandor treated him, and despite the hard, mostly unappreciated work, he never wanted to go back to that old life, back to Panera Bread. He liked his vampiric companions. They may not have shown him the respect he deserved, but they noticed him, they talked to him, they _included_ him. They didn’t shun him for his quiet disposition or his personality or his obvious interest in men. No; he had more now than he ever had in the past.

He had Nandor…

…And a new room.

That was one thing his master had made good on. It wasn’t a huge room, but it was a big step up from the little closet he’d been subsisting in these past eleven years. The room came complete with a canopy bed – dark mahogany that had once been polished but now was worn and faded with age – and a comfortable mattress, clean pillows (no come stains on these ones, thank goodness), and even a small brown teddy bear. The sheets, pillows and bear seemed far too new to have been with the bedroom originally. It made Guillermo smile to think of Nandor fussing over the bed, making sure it was clean and well-made (whether or not he’d ordered one of the other vampires – or their newfound familiar – to do it, Guillermo didn’t want to think about).

Aside from the bed, the rest of the room was fairly bare. There was a vanity with a recently-dusted mirror against one wall, a chest at the foot of the bed, a bedside table sporting an old fancy lamp, and a small painting opposite the vanity which depicted a medieval battle (Guillermo had wondered on more than one occasion if Nandor had chosen it specifically for his familiar – a reminder of how much of a strong, powerful warrior he was. The thought amused him to no end). Beneath the painting was a small fireplace, its mantle recently dusted. The wallpaper was stripped and peeling in places, the windows tightly boarded up, and the ceiling light dim, but it was still a far cry from the closet. It felt homely and comfortable, especially during these frosty winter nights when he’d start a fire in the hearth and curl up in bed with a book and a mug of hot tea.

He was doing this now, blankets heaped around his waist as he leaned on one elbow, facing the warm glow of the lamp, lost in a book. He was reading Anne Rice again, of course. Interview with the Vampire had always been his favourite of the Vampire Chronicles. He was drawn to their androgyny, their complete lack of concern over society’s expected rules. They were openly seductive, openly interested in their own sexes as well as the opposite. Their lives were feasts of the senses – touch, taste, smell, sight – everything was heightened by the vampire curse. Which, to Guillermo, seemed more like a blessing. They were gods among men; revered and feared for centuries. Like rock stars and actors, everyone wanted to be one. But nobody wanted to be one more than Guillermo.

He sighed and lowered his book. His tea had gone cold, sitting mostly untouched on the bedside table. It was late, but he couldn’t sleep. He felt irritated and antsy. Nandor had told him earlier in the night that he had a special birthday surprise for him tomorrow night, but Guillermo had long given up hope that it was the gift he wanted most.


	2. Chapter Two: Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guillermo has a somewhat cursed gloomy morning...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly a filler chapter about Guillermo's thoughts etc.
> 
> A/N: Firstly, the formatting screwed up the paragraph indents and idk how to fix it, hopefully it's not a big deal, I'm an a03 newbie. Secondly, I can’t remember if the house’s bathroom is ever shown, so I’ve just made it up as I go along. If I’m wrong, we’ll just pretend there are two bathrooms in the house *dances*  
> Also, this is going to have at least another chapter. Maybe more. Idk...I'm just really enjoying this and stretching it out :D

Sometime during the night, Guillermo was shocked awake by a loud bang. He almost flipped onto his other side to grab the stake behind the bedside table, but before he could untangle himself enough from the blankets to make a move, Nadja’s loud voice came rolling through the house from the front door. Guillermo breathed a sigh of relief, though his heart was still hammering.

His new bedroom was on the second floor, on the opposite end to Laszlo and Nadja’s. For that, he was grateful. The sounds of their animalistic lovemaking had often reached him in his little cramped spandrel, forcing him to wear headphones and listen to loud rock to block out the majority of the noise. This room, despite being larger and emptier, was near impervious to outside noises. The acoustics in this old mansion were weird.

Still, Nadja’s voice could permeate even the thickest lead, like a powerful radiation it seemed to ignore all boundaries. And right now she was singing falsetto, her song garbled somewhat by the walls, but mostly by her drunkenness. Laszlo and Nandor were singing too, though their voices weren’t at the same forte; Nadja’s voice drowned out everything else. It was grating on Guillermo. The vampires had no doubt been out haunting nightclubs, looking to get high or drunk on some poor dancing fool. Guillermo hadn’t been invited, of course, and it always worried him when he wasn’t asked to tag along. The vampires had no idea they were in danger. They were sitting ducks – but worse than ducks, they were always out getting drunk and raving loudly, strutting about town with not a care in the world. They were perfect targets for the Vampire Council’s henchmen.

Guillermo lay in bed, staring at the blurry ceiling, wondering if he should put on his glasses and robe and go check on his master and housemates. When Nadja began to scream with laughter, he decided against it. With a frown he rolled back around and closed his eyes, willing his heart to finally slow. It took him a long time to get back to sleep, even after the vampires themselves retired.

Guillermo almost threw his phone at the wall when its alarm signaled 6am. The alarm was supposed to be a soothing one, something to make one feel like they were laying in a bed of daisies in a beautiful field, surrounded by horses, basking in the golden hour of a spring afternoon (the tone was called “Golden Hour” after all), but all it did was fill his body with the icy fingers of dread. The feeling snaked through him like a sickness, making him nauseous.

And he couldn’t put a finger on _why_ he suddenly felt this way. Deep down though, he thought he knew: if Nandor didn’t turn him tonight, he didn’t know how he’d react. When Nandor’s old familiar had returned those months ago, he’d felt so on edge, so angry and frustrated. And when he’d left the house to live with Celeste, he’d acted so indifferent to Nandor’s visit. Since when did he have that kind of self-confidence, or at least be able to act like he did? And how far would he go with it? What if he was rejected again and in return told Nandor, on an angry whim, that he was leaving again and this time Nandor didn’t invite him back?

His first coherent thought of the day was a glum, _you need to stop obsessing over him_.

Only now after that thought did it register that Guillermo’s alarm was still tinkling over the room and bouncing daintily off the walls. He quickly turned it off, not wanting to wake tired, grumpy vampires who would probably stagger into the bright glow of the rising sun in their hungover stupor. He dragged himself out of bed, reaching for his glasses and nearly swiping his mug off the bedside table in the process. The shriek of shattering porcelain would not go down well with the other residents right now.

He tugged on the top drawer of the vanity, where he kept his shirts and sweaters, but it didn’t budge. He used a little more force, wiggled the old warped wood, and managed to slide it half-open. He shoved his hand in a little too quickly and his thumbnail caught on the drawer’s chipped insides, and he was impaled by a fine sliver of hardboard. It broke off into his nailbed and Guillermo hissed.

 _Is Laszlo wearing that cursed fucking hat again?_ his mind grumbled.

Today looked very promising already.

_And it’s my birthday._

He’d only just woken up enough to remember that important little note. Sucking on his thumb, he used his other hand to gingerly pick out his clothes. Thankfully the second drawer, where he kept his pants and underwear, opened with ease despite a loud whine of protest. Bundling his clothes in the crook of his arm, he made his way to the old bathroom. The water was iffy at the best of times, and this morning there was a lovely wintry shower waiting just for him. No matter how far he turned the hot water tap, the temperature stayed the same: ball-shattering cold. Guillermo stripped and stuck a toe beneath the water. He almost shrieked, but there was no helping it. The bathroom pipes were as old as Nadja, and when did they last pay their water bill? He’d have to settle with freezing his dick off.

The shower itself was a bath combo; a claw-footed beast that had been cream and gold a hundred years ago but now took on the complexion of an old liver-spotted man. The walls were green; originally, they’d been white tile. Guillermo cleaned the bathroom often enough, but muck and mildew from the ages had stained itself permanently onto the brittle surfaces. It was also dark: the light was a single bulb hanging from a string (Guillermo wasn’t entirely sure that was safe in a damp room), and the small window near the ceiling was boarded up. It was the perfect place to slip over or be electrocuted or buried under a falling waterlogged ceiling and die, and with his day so far – all twenty minutes of it – Guillermo wasn’t going to risk it. He showered as quickly as he could, squinting and shivering, even whimpering every so often as the cold droplets hit him like shards of ice. The bathroom was one of the coldest rooms in the house with its tiled floors and walls, yet Guillermo felt almost warm when he climbed out and grabbed a towel. The relief from stopping the icy water was immense.

Now he was in his underwear and holding his shirt up in front of him, inspecting it, deliberating. He’d wanted to dress up a little today, it might help his confidence or make him feel better or at least make him look separate from the house and not like a piece of carpet. But now, after the feeling of dread followed by the terrible half-hour he’d just lived through, he was hesitant and dejected. Birthdays had never been a big deal to him as an adult; he didn’t have enough friends (practically none outside of the household) to throw a party. He wasn’t a fan of cake. The vampires had celebrated so many birthdays they put about as much thought and interest into his than they put into talking to Colin Robinson. So Guillermo’s birthday tradition was usually to cook himself a nice meal, hopefully to eat it in front of his grimacing housemates, smiling cheekily the whole time knowing they were stuck watching him eat disgusting human food.

But this year was the big 3-0, and even Nandor seemed to take notice in it. Nadja had offered to bake a cake, but was quickly talked out of it by Laszlo who reminded her the last time she’d cooked something was a hundred and thirty years ago, when she’d tried to make blood fritters. “We were vomiting all night, don’t you remember?” Laszlo had said when they were discussing it days ago. “I thought if I kept going, I would have thrown up my own arsehole.”

Nadja had made a disgusted face at that, and then agreed.

That had been the same night that, as Guillermo was brushing his master’s hair to a sheen, Nandor had mentioned his birthday surprise. “We probably won’t see you until nightfall,” he’d said. “But then we will celebrate! Do you want some cake? Or one of those glittery sparkle hats?”

“No, master,” Guillermo had responded with a shy smile. “That won’t be necessary. I was just going to cook myself something and maybe have an early night-”

“An early night?” Nandor had interrupted. He spun on his heel and Guillermo almost dropped the brush, then silently cursed his face for heating up as he faced his master. “You do not wish to celebrate? In my country, turning thirty was a big deal! You are an old man now; you have survived a long time. Through war and famine and plague. Many don’t make it past twenty.”

“Actually…I…” Guillermo let out a short sigh and didn’t bother correcting the vampire. Sometimes he seemed like an old man himself, lost in dementia-induced fantasies about his old life. It was both annoying and endearing. “Maybe…maybe you could just get me a sparkly hat? Some balloons?”

“Ah…” Nandor didn’t appear to be listening; he was tapping a finger to his bearded chin.

Lost in their own thoughts, neither realised they were staring at each other until Guillermo noticed Nandor’s slight frown and furrowed brow. He was looking his familiar directly in the eyes, and it was unnerving, but Guillermo was fascinated. He could almost see the gears turning over in the vampire’s head. And suddenly those gears were running at full-speed, because he came alive again.

He gave a loud clap, which startled his familiar. “Ah, I will give you something better than a streamer, Guillermo! A true birthday surprise, yes! You just wait to see!” He nodded decidedly, flashing a grin that quickly faded. “Now help me into my bedclothes. Careful of my boots, I stepped in some dogshit earlier. Humans are worse than vampires, not cleaning up after themselves and their familiars. Though shit is infinitely worse than blood.”

The memory played by in Guillermo’s head as he stood looking at the black dress shirt he’d chosen to wear. It had made him smile yesterday and the day before, that memory; but now he realised he’d been hanging on to those airy words for days and for all he knew, they could have just been said in passing. Or Nandor could have forgotten all about his birthday after his drunken night out. He might not even decide to get up to wish his familiar a happy birthday. After all, nothing was mentioned of it last night when the vampires had announced they were going out.

Guillermo let out a long sigh through his nose and shrugged on the shirt. Screw it. He’d try to enjoy this day – his birthday – even if he had to enjoy it alone.


	3. Nightfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guillermo's secret begins to unravel...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew I'm on a roll! I've written up to chapter six but the next chapters still need editing. This is turning out way longer than I expected, I'm just enjoying writing it so much!!
> 
> Comments and Kudos are GREATLY appreciated and keep me wanting to write more! <3

The rest of the day went by as most days did, the difference being that Guillermo was somewhat more cursed than usual, and that the dread he’d felt this morning had manifested into nauseating butterflies that made his stomach lurch and his throat tighten every time he heard a loud noise. The dread had him paranoid and he was hyperaware of everything around him. It had been a while since an attack from the Vampire Council, a month or more perhaps, but since they’d begun he was far more in tune with his intuition, always on alert. If his unnaturally good vampire-hunter abilities stemmed from a family history of vampire hunters, then surely some kind of instinctive vampire-detecting skill had been coded into his genes?

As for the cursed side, he accidentally broke a window while dusting, his shoelace came undone and tripped him in public (right in front of a group of pimply, hats-on-backwards skater teens, who at least had the decency to stifle their laughter), and he couldn’t find half the ingredients he’d wanted for his planned dinner because apparently chicken and pasta were a hot thing right now. His second plan was a simple ham and cheese pizza from the frozen aisle, only because it was the last thing he saw as he headed for the checkout.

Despite all this, Guillermo tried to approach each task with more grace than usual, tried to feel better dressed up in his nice shirt. It had cost him fifty bucks two years ago - a long-sleeved collared dress shirt with a chest adorned by faint black embroidery, florally but still somewhat masculine – but he’d bought a size smaller by accident and only now did it fit him. He’d also dressed in some dark navy jeans, not too tight and not too baggy, and the black dress shoes that had tripped him up. He wasn’t overdressed like his vampire friends always were, but it _was_ a far cry from his usual humble carpet sweater and plain trousers or tracksuit pants. He’d even taken care to comb his hair back neatly, and put on his best cologne (it was cheap, but at least Nandor didn’t complain about it). That morning, looking in the mirror, he could have almost imagined himself with fangs…if it weren’t for the spectacles. No doubt vampires had supernatural vision, regardless of how blind they had been in life.

Over the course of the day, he was careful not to get his clothes too dusty, though having just dusted yesterday meant there wasn’t an awful lot to do. Nandor had given him permission to take the day off, but he had little else to do while we waited for his companions to wake. Thankfully there’d been no bodies dragged home last night, so the only blood to clean was a few drops near the door that must have escaped somebody’s lips.

He’d left his shopping until last, taking along his backpack so he wouldn’t have to hug bags all the way home – but mainly because he kept a stake at handy, strapped to the bag’s side pocket. He often preferred to go in the evening, arriving home just after sundown. There was something wholesome about coming home to his friends sitting around in the warm library, usually bickering with each other. And Nandor would often jump to his feet and ask Guillermo where he’d been, that he’d needed help dressing and brushing his hair and that that was the job of his familiar, and Guillermo always found it strangely endearing. Despite the earlier embarrassment of tripping, the disappointment of having frozen pizza for his birthday meal, and then nearly slipping on the icy path leading to the house, Guillermo felt pretty good tonight. Though his damn stomach was still in his throat.

He opened the front door into darkness. The smell of must and dust hit him – a permanent thing, no matter how much he cleaned. He was used to it by now of course; in fact, he rather enjoyed the smell these days. It smelled a little like Nandor.

Even the thought of his master and the questionable existence of a birthday surprise had his stomach flipping higher…that was until he realised the house was empty of noise. There were no voices; not even Nadja’s ear-bleedingly loud singing. There was no music – often they had the gramophone going, or Laszlo would be plucking away at his guitar.

And there was no light. Guillermo couldn’t see a thing. There could be a vampire henchman crouching right before him this very second, ready to pounce, and he’d not have any clue. Perhaps _his_ vampires hadn’t risen yet, though they were usually up by now. Even so, a shadow could come shrieking out at him at any time, knocking him down, splitting his head on the concrete path. And at the thought, as if on cue, something _did_ shift in the darkness ahead. The sound of a boot dragging lazily on carpet.

Guillermo quickly reached for the light switch by the door, heart hammering in his chest; he imagined it would sound like a drum by now in the ears of a vampire. Light flooded the short hallway and the foyer beyond, and what happened next was a flurry of movement and noise, and the man almost blacked out from the sudden sensory overload.

“Surprise!” Five voices shouted in unison, their owners but a flicker of dull colour behind a cascade of rainbow confetti. A sudden blast of party horns snapped Guillermo back to his senses, but his body moved before his brain did, and before he could gather what all the movement and sound was, he let out a barbaric scream and grabbed the stake from behind his back, rushing forward, through the confetti, stopping short of four wide-eyed vampires and a terrified familiar.

Breathing hard through clenched teeth, he stood before them, both hands lowered now, clutching the stake as though it was a machine gun. It was pointed at Nandor’s belly. Sweat prickled at Guillermo’s forehead and his hands began to shake. He dropped the stake, stood upright. His hands fell limply to his sides.

That was when Nandor lunged for him, fangs bared. “Shit, Guillermo! What the fuck was that?” He made to grab his shoulders, then thought the better of it. He stared down at the stake, eyes still wide. He was hissing and making noises and then managed a loud, “Shit!”

“What the fuck indeed!” Laszlo spat.

“Guillermo were you going to kill us?” Nadja shrieked at the same time.

“No, I…I…” Guillermo stuttered, on the verge of tears as the adrenaline wore off. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I thought you were…I didn’t think…”

This time Nandor did grab his shoulders. He held his familiar at arm’s length, though his fingers were digging into his skin hard enough to leave bruises. “You thought we were what, Guillermo?” he yelled. “You thought we were going to eat you on your birthday?”

“No! I-”

“Then why would you carry a stake!?”

“Do stakes kill energy vampires?” Colin Robinson chimed in, looking around nervously.

Guillermo was shaking all over. He squeezed his eyes shut. “Oh my god-”

Nadja bared her teeth and hissed, and Guillermo realised his mistake and tried to apologise.

Laszlo cursed loudly and pointed a finger at Guillermo. “He really is trying to kill us.”

“Silence!” Nandor boomed, turning his head slightly to acknowledge his companions. “Leave us.” The other vampires fell silent, and Nadja let out a small indignant whimper before reluctantly following Laszlo from the room. She turned and bared her teeth at Guillermo, eyes blazing, before disappearing into the dark library. Colin Robinson retreated into the shadows, eyes glinting blue. Nadja and Laszlo’s familiar – who was still so unfamiliar that Guillermo couldn’t even remember her name – had long since slipped away.

As soon as their housemates were gone, Guillermo opened his mouth and said in a hurry, “I’m so sorry master, I’ll explain everything-”

“Yes you will,” Nandor snapped, turning on him, “if you want to continue to be my familiar.” His face was set in a deep, severe frown that Guillermo seldom saw.

“Yes, thank you master.” He tried to hide the nervous smile as he sagged with relief, sliding his bag off his shoulders. It plopped to the floor behind him, forgotten. As soon as his thoughts had caught up with him, Guillermo had been waiting for Nandor to banish him, throw him out the door. That he was willing to listen to his familiar was all Guillermo could hope for.

It wasn’t in Nandor’s character to sit on the staircase, preferring the comfort of lounges. But as he stiffly dragged his feet through the fallen confetti, it became clear he was hardly noticing his own movements, his head lost in a cloud of confusion and unease. Guillermo came to sit beside him as the vampire huddled on the stair.

“Explain,” he said darkly, looking straight ahead.

Guillermo felt his pulse quicken and knew the vampire would sense the fear in him. “Master, I have been protecting you. You, Nadja, and Laszlo.” He paused, swallowing hard, trying to think of the best way to put it. Nandor remained silent, and he decided to be blunt. “I’ve been protecting you from other vampires. Please, don’t look at me like that. I’m telling the truth.” He was begging now. How pathetic he must sound. He knew his master didn’t believe him; but he _had_ to make him believe. He continued in a gasping rush. “The Vampire Council has been sending out henchmen to murder you. It’s been happening since last year. That’s why I don’t sleep well at night. Why I’m always so tired and grouchy now. I just didn’t want you to know because-” he stopped when he saw his master’s expression. It had changed. He was gazing at his familiar with a curious mix of belief _and_ disbelief.

“Guillermo,” he said softly, as realisation dawned. “That time you said you were just fixing the door, and you joked it was alive?”

“There was a vampire behind it, trying to kill us.” Despite the dread in his stomach and the pain in his chest, Guillermo let out a shaky chuckle. “I had a stake behind my back, and when you walked away I...” he trailed off, his smile dying.

“Hm. That explains all the excessive vampire blood,” Nandor said at length, thinking. “I thought Laszlo and Nadja were just going through one of those sex things.” He turned back to Guillermo suddenly, eyes wide. “All those nights I heard you grunting and yelling and banging around the place…that was not you doing the…the beating off?”

Guillermo felt his face heat up, all dread temporarily replaced with utter embarrassment. “N-no, master! Those were vampires too. M-mostly.”

Nandor made a face, but it quickly dissolved. He was serious again. “This is all true?”

“Yes,” Guillermo uttered. He averted his gaze, but still felt the weight of Nandor’s eyes on him. “But there’s more…”

He took a deep, shaky breath, ignoring his master’s subtle scoot to the other side of the step. If he didn’t tell him now, he never would.


	4. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the vampires and human have a serious discussion. Guillermo shows them who’s boss. Short chapter! Getting closer to the good stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: There is mention of Helwing, who Van Helsing is possibly based on. Although he was a real man, I made up the bit about him being a vampire hunter because I can.

“Laszlo, Nadja,” Nandor announced in the usual timbre he saved for announcements. “Guillermo has something to tell you. As unbelieving as it may sound, please listen. I trust that he is telling the truth.” He gave an awkward smile that was half-grimace, and swept his hands in his familiar’s direction. Guillermo stood in his nice neat clothing, hands clenched together in front of him, hair plastered with sweat, feeling like there were a million bloodthirsty pairs of eyes on him instead of just three. The vampires had still been in the library when they’d gone to look for them, despite Nandor and Guillermo having been absent for some time.

“Thank you, master,” Guillermo whispered, voice barely audible. He addressed the other two now. “What happened before-”

“Speak up, boy,” Laszlo said, “We may be vampires but I don’t feel like straining my ears.”

Guillermo took a deep breath and gathered his courage, spurred on by Nandor’s presence. “What happened before – the stake? It wasn’t meant for you. I promise.”

Nadja shot forward in her seat, ready to bare claws and fangs. “Then who was it-”

“Shut up, Nadja,” Nandor said. “Listen now and ask questions after.”

Nadja pouted and sunk back into the lounge.

Guillermo waited a moment, and when nothing more was said, he continued. “Since your visit to the Vampire Council last year, the house has been getting broken into by vampires looking for you. Regularly. I don’t know how they’re getting in, but that’s not important. The important thing is that your lives have been in danger. And, well, you haven’t been aware of it, because I’ve been killing them before they can get to you.”

Nadja gave a disgusted look, the disbelief already showing on her face. But Laszlo seemed to be listening.

“I’ve been on edge for a while now because of it,” the man continued. “Those vampires are really terrifying. I’ve almost been killed too many times to count, that’s why I keep the stake-”

“Wait,” Laszlo said, and put up a hand when Nandor hissed at him. “You’re telling us, you’ve been killing the Council’s underlings this whole time, and not only have you managed to stay alive, but you’ve also managed to keep it a secret from us?”

“Yes, Laszlo,” Nandor said between clenched teeth. “That is exactly what he is telling us. Do you not listen?”

“Well why the bloody hell didn’t he tell us?” Laszlo retorted. “I mean, we’ve known you for eleven years, chap, and you’ve never struck me as the type to just go around killing vampires.”

“No, I’m not the type to just _go around_ killing vampires,” Guillermo said, straightening his shoulders in a feigned act of confidence. “But I do it because…because I care. About you all. You’re my closest friends. More than that, you’re like my family. Even Colin Robinson.”

Nadja was biting her lip now, torn between disgust and affection at his sweet words. Laszlo’s eyebrows rose.

“The reason I didn’t tell you,” the man continued, “was because I know killing vampires is wrong-”

“Well it’s not wrong if they’re trying to kill _us_ first.” That was Laszlo.

“-and I knew you wouldn’t believe me anyway. And also…” he paused to take a shaky breath.

“Go on, Guillermo,” Nandor encouraged softly.

Guillermo nodded. “I’m actually really, really good at it.”

Nadja snorted.

“For fucks sake!” Nandor yelled. “Nadja, if you make one more noise, I am going to command Guillermo to stab you.”

“How dare you!” Nadja hissed, lunging out of her chair. Nandor hissed back, and the two entered a hissing match, hunched over and clawing at the air in front of each other. Their fangs had grown to twice their normal size, and their eyes were black and bloodshot. Laszlo squeezed his eyes shut and massaged them with two fingers, sighing.

“ _Please_ -” Guillermo whined. Gingerly he tried to step between the vampires, but their feet were now lifting off the ground. “Master-” he tried again. He was exhausted and he didn’t need this. He just wanted to get it all off his chest and go read a book and try to enjoy what remained of his birthday, and possibly his life in this house as Nandor’s familiar.

Guillermo felt a rush of sudden anger. All of the memories came flooding back – all of the tireless hours of housework, endless chores, dragging bodies down steps, tearing and cutting limbs off the really heavy ones to lessen the load. All of the vampire-killing. Risking his life to protect those he cared about most. And yet he couldn’t even make a heartfelt confession without them selfishly bickering and fighting. The frustration gauge in his head was bulging in the red, ready to shatter at any moment.

“ENOUGH!” he roared. Though his roar came out more like a loud squeak, it was filled with enough outrage that Nadja and Nandor bounced away from each other and dropped to their feet, stunned into silence. Guillermo had to stop himself from ducking away shyly. He stood his ground, chin high. “I am better at killing vampires than anything else I’ve ever tried to do.” At that, he gave an unexpected, incredulous laugh. Nadja and Laszlo exchanged sceptical looks. But then Laszlo sat up, a spark of comprehension going off somewhere behind his eyes. “All that banging late at night…the blood everywhere.”

“We thought you were just going through a phase,” Nadja said. “You know, bathing in blood while aggressively masturbating-”

“ _Yeeuukkk,”_ Nandor added.

“We never stopped to think where the blood had _come from_.”

“Yes, well, first of all I wasn’t…doing that…” Guillermo said. “I was killing vampires.” He realised now that his fingers were aching from being clenched together, and he released them with a silent sigh of relief, feeling more in control of the situation now. “Vampires that were trying to kill all of _you_ , of course,” he added quickly. “And I think the reason I’m so good at it is because of my family heritage. You remember those DNA tests I had done for us?” He didn’t wait for their responses. “Well…mine wasn’t exactly all that typical. It turns out I’m…well, I’m a descendant of Van Helsing.”

“But that might not mean anything,” Nandor cut in hurriedly. “He is not an _actual_ vampire hunter like Van Helsing was. He is just killing them to protect us. And he just happens to be unnaturally good at it.”

Nadja and Laszlo were silent. They sat apart now, leaning forward on the lounge intently, both of them staring at Guillermo with wide eyes.

Nadja was the first to laugh. She threw her head back and let out a loud, shrieking cackle that bounced off the walls and rang down the hallways. Laszlo’s laughter soon followed, his eyes wrinkling at the sides as he slapped his knee and guffawed **.** They probably only laughed for a few seconds, but to Guillermo it felt like an hour. Still, he willed himself to keep his chin high. Nandor was watching them with his usual uncertain grimace-smile.

Finally, Nadja’s laughter died down and she began to sniffle and wipe her eyes, gasping and sighing with mirth. “Oh Gizmo, you silly boy.”

“And you, Nandor,” Laszlo pointed at the vampire. “Where the fuck have you been the past three hundred years to not know that Van Helsing isn’t real?”

“He is real, Laszlo!” Nandor snapped defiantly. “Guillermo, you have the ethernet and the google on your talking machine, show them that documentary film. Show them proof!”

Guillermo glanced at his master, confused. Documentary? It was true, he had googled the surname Helsing, and although the surname itself was purportedly fictional, the character had been based off a real man from the 18th century – a scientist named Helwing. After some digging, he’d discovered that although the man had denied the existence of vampires, there was evidence to suggest he would use incantations, prayers and crucifixes, among other things, to repel and kill “demonic creatures of the night”. The ‘documentary’ Nandor referred to, however, had been a trailer of the Van Helsing movie from 2004. He’d seen the thumbnail for it while Guillermo was trying to show him _real_ evidence, and he’d demanded his familiar show him this ‘short film’. So Guillermo had played it for him, telling him the whole time it was just a fantasy; that the events in the movie didn’t actually _happen_ in real life, but Nandor wouldn’t listen.

Guillermo had let it go. Anything to help them believe him couldn’t be a bad thing, right? He took his phone out of his back pocket with a sigh and found the clip.

“It’s not actually real,” he mumbled.

“Hush, Gizmo,” Laszlo said, taking the phone, his interest piqued.

He and Nadja huddled around the little machine and watched, the glow of the phone’s light flickering on their faces as the tinny noises of battle reached their ears. When the trailer was over, they handed the phone back to Guillermo, and Nandor gestured to the little talk machine as if to say, “see? I told you so.”

Laszlo sat back lazily. “That’s not real,” he proclaimed.

Guillermo bristled. “That’s what I said.”

“It’s a re-enactment, darling,” Nadja explained, patting her husband’s hand. “They didn’t have cameras back in those times.”

“So, you believe me now?” Guillermo dared to ask.

Nadja made a thinking noise, and then said, “yes. I think so.”

Laszlo simply shrugged.

Only then did Guillermo let his shoulders and chin drop, relieved and exhausted. Nandor beamed at him, and it seemed almost genuine. With that huge weight off his chest, Guillermo thought that, despite everything, this night might turn out okay after all.


	5. The Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guillermo is given an utterly terrifying birthday gift. Followed by a little fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I totally derped out with the timeline and made it winter for like half the year (since it’s winter in season 2…and this story takes place 4 months after episode 8). Let’s pretend season 2 winter did not happen, because snow is just so romantic and it must be in this story.
> 
> Also I’m Australian and our seasons are backwards and I don’t even know what year it is half the time.
> 
> Also thank you SOOO much for the kudos and comments!! I love reading the comments!! <3

It took another hour of explaining, and answering the vampires’ endless questions, for them to finally be more or less content with Guillermo’s confession. It was almost 9pm by the time Nandor stretched his back and arms, his old bones cracking. He’d been lazing on one of the lounges, opposite the other two vampires and beside Guillermo, who was seated in one of the antique armchairs.

“Look Guillermo,” he said with a stilted frown. “You have missed most of your birthday celebration!”

The adrenaline had long since left his system, and Guillermo felt himself sag further into the armchair at the thought of any celebrating. “Actually, I’m kind of tired, I might just-”

“Nonsense!” Nandor swung his legs off the lounge and rose determinedly. “You still have your gift! And Colin Robinson bought you a cake!”

“Does that mean we have to invite him back?” Nadja frowned.

“Don’t be silly, dear, of course not.” That was Laszlo.

Guillermo’s thoughts were still stuck back at the _gift_ part, though. He thought his ‘birthday surprise’ had been the fanfare at the door that had almost sent him into cardiac arrest. He suddenly felt less tired, and he stood up in anticipation as the other two vampires got to their feet as well.

Nandor turned to Nadja and bowed. “Nadja, would you please go get _the gift_?”

“Yes!” Nadja squealed, jumping. She trotted out of the room, and a few minutes later a distant door slammed shut.

So the gift was a physical thing, then. Guillermo tried to ignore the sudden disappointment gnawing at him. _You knew you wouldn’t become a vampire tonight_ , he told himself, feeling guilty all of a sudden. _Be patient. They put a lot of work into this._

He was still extremely curious, though. Whatever his surprise was, it had been hidden outside – it was the back door leading into the hedges that Nadja had slammed shut. And minutes later she came back through that door, only now there were extra noises accompanying the clip-clop of her boots: the gentle tinkling of a chain, and the tick-tick-tick of extra footsteps. She wasn’t alone.

What came through that door with Nadja sent Guillermo’s heart into another frenzy, almost as bad as before. Walking with an unnatural grace beside her was the biggest, burliest, _scariest_ dog Guillermo had ever seen. Its back alone was of a height with Nadja’s waist, and its chest and neck were pure muscle. Its fur was so dark that it seemed to swallow the light instead of reflect it. Its eyes were a freakish arctic blue, and there was a small pink patch above its nose, but other than that it was a shadow.

“His name is Shaddow!” Nadja announced excitedly. “Laszlo said we should get a dog from a shelter; he’s been all soft like that since his visit to the pound.”

“But Nadja said they were all too scrawny,” Laszlo grumbled.

“So we asked around, and found a vampire who trains cane corsos in defence. Isn’t he beautiful?”

“We thought you could use a friend,” Nandor said uncertainly. “Something to protect you. But…well that was before we knew…what you do.”

Guillermo was hardly listening. The dog had just laid eyes on him, and his floppy jowls were bunching up, his nose picking up the man’s scent. He huffed a few times, then the huffing turned into growling. Shaddow bared gleaming white teeth at his new human.

Nadja gave a small “Oh…” as realisation sank in, and then she was yanked forward violently as Shaddow lunged for Guillermo. The man recoiled with a shriek, but it was too late to run. In the blink of an eye Shaddow had dropped him to the floor, despite the vampires’ synchronised yelling, and had his massive jaws around Guillermo’s arm. All the while Guillermo kicked and screamed and tried to tear himself away.

“Guillermo!” he heard Nandor calling from somewhere far away. “Don’t kill him, Guillermo, he cost a lot of money!”

“He’s…killing…me!” Guillermo shrieked. In reality, the dog was just wrestling with him; his teeth had hardly pierced the fabric of his shirt. But all Guillermo could feel was a massive weight and a searing pain at his arm. All he could hear was loud, persistent growling.

It seemed to last forever, Guillermo hanging between that space of life and potential death, but in reality it was over in an instant. Nandor gave a loud grunt as he yanked Shaddow back by the collar. The dog immediately sat by the vampire’s side, the picture of obedience, but ducked his head and whined when Nandor pointed a finger at him. “Bad boy! That is my familiar you are violating! You are supposed to protect him, not eat him!” The dog looked up at Nandor and suddenly he became a puppy, giving the vampire wide sad eyes and hanging his jowls woefully with a whimper. “Oh,” Nandor cooed, “I can’t stay mad at you.” He gently patted the dog’s head.

Guillermo meanwhile had scrambled to his feet, shaking in terror. The dog regarded him with a coolness that was frighteningly human (…or vampire).

Nadja gave a nervous laugh. “The thing is,” she said, looking away at something very interesting on the far wall.

“He has been trained to sniff out vampire hunters,” Laszlo finished for her.

“Obviously we didn’t know about…you know…,” Nandor mumbled. “And we didn’t specifically _look_ for a dog trained to sniff out vampire hunters. He is just a very pretty dog. We never thought it would be a problem.”

“He is very well-behaved,” Nadja added.

“ _Very_ well-behaved,” Nandor concurred.

“Oh,” Guillermo said, feigning cheeriness as he clutched his sore arm. “That’s…cool. Yeah. I mean, he can help me do my job, right?” All three vampires nodded awkwardly, making sounds of agreement. The dog was staring daggers at him and huffing here and there. Guillermo was still paralysed with residual fear, and he willed his body to move, swallowing hard and trying to put on his best grin. “Thank you for the…for Shaddow. If you’ll excuse me…” he let his words trail off as he pushed past them and out the door, ignoring Nadja’s groan and Nandor’s exasperated sigh.

As soon as he was out the back door, Guillermo doubled over, gulping in mouthfuls of the frigid night air. It burned down his throat and pricked at his lungs and made him dizzy, and he willed his breathing to slow. Only when the panic had faded somewhat did he realise he’d been clutching the stone banister and that his hand was now frozen and stuck. He yanked it off and rubbed it against his shirt, only now feeling the full extent of the cold. His breath came out in puffs of steam as he made his way down to the garden and weaved through Laszlo’s vulval topiaries. There was a stone bench beside the likeness of Nadja’s vagina that he sometimes liked to visit to escape his boisterous housemates. There was something strangely comforting about this quiet, dark place. Surrounded by Laszlo’s erotic sculptures. Obviously if given the choice, Guillermo would have opted for something a little more…G-rated. But there was no doubting the garden had a weird sort of maternal warmth.

He sat on the bench and leaned against its carved backrest, tilting his head back and closing his eyes, letting out a long, tired sigh. He stayed like that for a long time, just breathing, feeling the soft kisses of fresh snowflakes on his cheeks and eyelids, no longer caring about the cold. Winter seemed to have lasted forever this year. Christmas had come and gone with no celebration; the new year ignored. But focusing on the present, Guillermo tried to think back over the past few hours with calmness, and focus on the positive parts of this particular celebratory day. The vampires knew he was a killer now, and they still accepted him, if not a little cautiously. That was good. He didn’t want to think about whether that acceptance was going to last or not, though. All he wanted was for things to go back to the way they had been just last night, when he annoyedly listened to three drunken vampires charge about the house. How fickle human life was, to change so dramatically in the space of a day. Guillermo had always been afraid of change; it was probably one of the reasons he was still here, eleven years on, despite the disrespect and the broken promises. But that was something he didn’t want to dwell on right now. All he wanted was some peace and quiet.

But for the past minute or two he’d had the keen sense that he was being watched. Exhausted as he was, he didn’t care at first. But now it was just plain irritating. He opened his eyes with a frown, half expecting to be knocked down by a crouching vampire hunter but hardly caring at this point. There was a black shape at his knees, indeed, but it was not a vampire. It whined and tilted its shadowy head to the side.

Guillermo’s heart would have sped up if it weren’t so spent. And the look in Shaddow’s eyes was no longer one of hostility. They shone out from the doggy silhouette like two ghostly orbs. He was no longer wearing the chain leash, but Guillermo saw the gleam of a dozen metal studs that stuck out of the dog’s collar. He hadn’t noticed those earlier, nor the bone-shaped nametag that caught the distant lamplight. In the dimness, he could only just make out the word stamped into it: “Shaddow”. Guillermo gave a soft, amused snort. He doubted the mistake was intentional. His housemates weren’t exactly scholars, after all. But when he turned the cold metal tag over, the words he read made his chest tingle with warmth. Stamped on the back was, “Master: Guillermo” and Guillermo’s phone number. Guillermo smiled and sat back again, letting the tag drop and tinkle against the collar’s spikes.

This whole time he’d been aware of another silhouette, standing at the top of the steps, and even in his periphery he knew it could only be one person, or vampire. He looked past the hedges and shrubs toward the hulking, formidable shape rimmed in lamplight. Nandor was shuffling from foot to foot, seemingly debating with himself whether to descend into the garden or stay in the safety of the lamplight, away from his familiar who had suddenly grown a vampire-killing backbone.

Guillermo looked back up at the sky, deciding to ignore him while he made a decision. A moment later, Nandor was standing before him, still hulking and shadowy, but now familiar with his ancient scent and hunched stance. He felt the vampire’s gleaming eyes on him as he self-consciously shuffled across the bench, allowing Nandor sitting room. His master placed himself awkwardly beside him. Shaddow was still staring expectantly at his human, ears down guiltily, as though waiting for some kind of affirmation.

“Guillermo…” Nandor began falteringly. “I’m _sss-_ I’m sorry. About the dog. And frightening you so much you almost drove a stake through my body.”

“Master-”

“Quiet! I am trying to be sentimental, Guillermo, and it is difficult enough without you reminding me you are listening.”

Guillermo hid a smile but said nothing. He furtively watched the lamplight play off his master’s high cheeks, outlining his hooked nose and blanketing his beard in a soft glow. The snowflakes that fell onto his head and shoulders stayed perfectly preserved; there was no body heat to melt them. The vampire was gazing ahead, seemingly captivated by the grassy vulva opposite them, but more likely too anxious to look at his familiar.

“You said…you care about us.” It wasn’t a question. “I…well we…we cckkk…we _ccckkk_.” Nandor paused in frustration, huffing a breath through his nostrils. “We _c-care_ about you too, Guillermo.” He looked down at his knees and sighed, as if greatly relieved.

It hit Guillermo then like a ton of bricks, and he almost kicked himself off the bench for not realising it earlier. Or maybe he had realised, but was too caught up in himself to fully acknowledge it: Nandor was a warrior. All he’d known in both lives was killing and pillaging and violently feeding on human prey. He very rarely spoke of his many wives or children, and when he did it was very matter-of-fact; not peppered with endearments or fond memories. He never alluded to more recent relationships, vampiric or human. He was a killing machine born and raised, and killing machines had no time for love or sweet words. Nandor was emotionally constipated.

“Guillermo, you may speak now.” Nandor’s voice snapped him out of his epiphany. The vampire sounded extremely uncomfortable.

“Thank you, master,” was all he said. He knew he was starting to sound like a broken record but he didn’t care. His heart was soaring with an unfamiliar mix of adoration and sympathy. Shaddow seemed to sense some shift in him, and he placed his chin on Guillermo’s knee.

Nandor found it a great excuse to change the subject, and he gave a small snicker. “He likes you now,” he observed. “I suppose you are better at killing vampires than vampire-hunting dogs, no?” He reached out and ruffled Shaddow’s droopy ear. The vampire’s proximity to his knee, and the casual, uncharacteristic way in which he was now talking, got Guillermo’s heart working again. He was sure he’d be in the ER by the end of the night.

Well, if he was going to end up in hospital anyway, he may as well ask Nandor the one thing that had been gnawing at his mind now for so long now. Tonight had proven to be a night of discoveries, and Guillermo hoped he wasn’t pushing it, but he could no longer resist.

“Master?” he said gently. “Why are you so hesitant to turn me into a vampire?”


	6. In the Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nandor's show of affection doesn't exactly go as planned...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was expecting to say “that’s all folks!” this chapter, but this fic is practically writing itself and it turns out there’s going to be one more chapter after this, because, well, things don’t really go as planned in this chapter...I mean, this is Nandor we're talking about.
> 
> Hopefully the vampires being a bit OOC - what with actually caring about Guillermo for once - isn't too off-putting. But hey, he deserves some TLC for once!
> 
> And thank you sooooo much again for the comments and kudos, and even just for reading. To know that people are enjoying this fic makes me so happy!! I'll try to reply to all the comments later, but I just woke up and decided to finally post this chapter. It's been sitting on my computer for a day or two, but I wanted to really polish this one.

Nandor was on his feet in an instant, instinctively in defensive mode. “We’ve talked about this, Guillermo.”

“No, we haven’t,” Guillermo insisted, getting to his feet and facing his master, forcing eye contact. Shaddow also jumped to his feet, but once he sensed no real danger, he trotted off to sniff at a topiary. “Not properly,” Guillermo continued. “You always dodge these questions, and I’m tired of it! Nandor…” he shut his mouth, eyes going wide as he realised he’d addressed his master by name. When was the last time he’d done that, if ever? Nandor didn’t miss it. He bit down on his bottom lip in a glower, but Guillermo hurried on before he could be reprimanded. “ _Master_ …I don’t expect you to turn me into a vampire tonight. Or any time in the near future. I’ve waited this long; I can wait some more. I just want to know _why_ I’ve been made to wait so long.”

There was a moment’s silence as Nandor deliberated. His eyes had darkened at Guillermo’s outburst and his teeth were clenched, the gears once again ticking over in his head. Guillermo waited, anticipation making his stomach flutter more than it had all day. But when the vampire spoke, all he said was, “I made you a promise, and I will keep it. Not tonight, but one day. Just give me time.” His last words came out a dejected mumble and he turned to leave. But Guillermo wasn’t going to let him drop it this time.

“Master, please.” Imploring, he grabbed the sleeve of Nandor’s coat and tried to spin him back around. Nandor snarled half-heartedly and stumbled away, headed for the garden’s exit. Guillermo made a sound that was somewhere between a grunt and an aggravated growl. “Just _tell_ me!”

“I’m scared!” Nandor shouted, spinning around to face his familiar eye-to-eye. For a moment they just stared at each other, shocked. Guillermo realised his mouth partly hung open and he closed it quickly. “There,” Nandor said finally, shrugging his cape further around him and looking away in disgust. “You made me say it. Are you happy now?” He pouted as his eyes darted around the garden, as if looking for an escape.

Guillermo reacted quickly, not wanting the conversation to end, now that he was just getting to the bottom of it. “Scared?” he prompted gently, taken aback by the answer. What could possibly scare tall, powerful, relentless Nandor…aside from sunlight of course, and the Vampire Council, and the late Baron, and being touched, and feeling emotions…?

When Nandor didn’t reply, Guillermo tried to spur him on. “Are you worried that I will leave? That there will be nobody to look after- I mean, to assist you – after I become a vampire?”

Nandor scoffed and shot him a hard glare. “Of course not. I could find a far better familiar than you. One that doesn’t go nosing around asking _personal questions_ all of the time.”

Once upon a time those words would have hurt his familiar, but Guillermo shook them off now. This was a typical reaction from Nandor when he was faced with potential humiliation. _He’s a warrior. He’s not comfortable talking about his feelings. But he does have them. I know he does. He said he cares about me._

“If not that, then what, Master?” Guillermo’s voice was hardly above a whisper. Nandor shuffled from foot to foot, looking down at the snowy grass that his boots were crumpling. He was doing that awkward inarticulate mumbling to himself, something that Guillermo always found endearing. Tonight, though, it just made him more nervous. He was surprised he was keeping it together this well. He was also surprised that Nandor hadn’t fled yet. Maybe he, too, had decided it was time to confess.

“Guillermo,” he said finally, taking a pause to seat himself back on the bench. Guillermo gingerly followed, making sure to sit as far away from his master as possible, lest he scare him away. The vampire was like – well, a feral bat – when it came to divulging personal thoughts and feelings; he was unpredictable and flighty. Right now, though, he gave a sigh and decided to go on. “Guillermo, I’m not afraid of you leaving. You could leave at any time. I will admit, at first I used my promise to keep you here. You are not the perfect familiar, but you are trustworthy and not burdened with commitments. You are also so… _subservient_.” He shrugged. “Honestly, I did not expect you to stay this long. I have not treated you well…”

“Master-”

“Shush, Guillermo! This is very hard for me to say. I am trying to forget you’re just there.”

“Sorry, Master.”

Nandor shuffled impatiently in his seat, hands clenched together on his lap. But he continued as if there’d been no interruption. “No, Guillermo. I am not scared of you leaving. I would not like it, but I could live with it. I’m, well…I’m scared of hurting you.” He gave another short shrug at that, as if it weren’t a big deal, despite him struggling so much to get the words out.

“Hurting me?” Guillermo breathed, then he began to chuckle, his shoulders jiggling as he laughed and shook his head. “Master, I’m not afraid of you _hurting_ me. I’m sure it’s painful, but-”

“Killing, Guillermo!” Nandor hissed, leaning towards him. “I am afraid of killing you!”

Guillermo’s smile dropped. He swallowed hard. It was true – there were always risks. The risk that Nandor would lose control, that he’d drain his familiar of every last drop of blood. But if it were in a controlled setting, with someone there to restrain him, then there was nothing to worry about, right? He’d played all the possible scenarios over in his head a million times these past eleven years, had come up with several foolproof plans. Guillermo was about to say as much when Nandor spoke up again, as if reading his thoughts. “The risks might be small, yes, but they are still present. It is a messy and painful procedure, and if something were to go wrong…if you were to bleed out…that would be my last memory of you.”

Guillermo felt something swell in his chest, and he fought back the prickle of tears at his eyes. If he were to cry now, Nandor would definitely end the conversation. He didn’t want it to end. He never wanted it to end. Eleven years and his master had never spoken to him – or, as far as Guillermo was aware, anyone else – in this way. He rarely got a glance inside the vampire’s dead, black heart. Yet his years-long suspicion that a part of that heart was still alive and pink and beating had now been affirmed.

The spell was suddenly broken, though.

“You have not truly _lived_ yet, Guillermo.” Much to his familiar’s surprise, Nandor stood up and spun around to face him, filled with a newfound determination. “You have done what with your life? Nothing!”

“I-I’ve been working for you-”

“Even so! What do you do with your spare time? You demand that I give you one day a week, and yet I still hear you moving things around and using the vacuum on your free days!”

Guillermo stood and straightened his shoulders, ready to defend himself once more, but deep down he knew what his master was saying was true. In his thirty years, what _had_ he done? He had never been in a relationship. He made little effort to date or find friends or attend social gatherings. He had no serious hobbies, unless dismembering corpses and playing Find-The-Bog-Bodies were considered hobbies. He was technically a slave, though free as he apparently was to leave any time.

“I would not want you to become one of us, to never see the sunlight again, to have to live in the shadows, when you have hardly seen the sun! There is still so much for you to do, Guillermo. You have spent so much time worrying about becoming a vampire, that you have forgotten to live. When was the last time you went to a concert? An opera?” Guillermo had never seen Nandor so fervent, so alive, and it was unnerving, but the vampire seemed to take no notice of his familiar’s panic-stricken expression. “When was the last time you rode a horse or pillaged a village? The last time you swept a woman into your arms and kissed her passionately?”

“I-I’m gay, Master.”

“Well? When was the last time you swept a man into your arms and kissed him passionately?”

“I don’t…I’ve never…” Guillermo’s face was burning hot. He adjusted his glasses as an excuse to look away from the frighteningly ardent vampire.

Nandor dropped his arms, his enthusiastic expression sobering into a scowl. Guillermo felt his eyes boring into him. “You’ve never? You’ve never kissed _anyone_?”

For the first time, Guillermo wished this conversation would end already. He was certain Nandor could see the blood rushing to his cheeks, could hear his heart thundering. Vaguely he wondered if his blood were unwittingly tempting the vampire. “Never,” he admitted to his shoes. The tables had turned in the space of a second; now it was Guillermo’s turn to be bashful, as Nandor looked at him incredulously.

“Oh, Guillermo.” His name rolled off Nandor’s tongue with uncharacteristic sympathy. “That is so pathetic. You have never kissed a girl? A boy? _Truly_?”

Guillermo almost turned away and left then and there. But he stalled and reminded himself that Nandor was accustomed to the old ways of speaking, when words like ‘pathetic’ were less of an insult and more a benevolent observation. Still, he could no longer keep the tears in his eyes. They slid silently down his cheeks. He wanted nothing more than to run to his room and hide for the rest of the night. Maybe even the rest of the week.

Nandor seemed to sense the sudden tension from his familiar, because he did something surprising then: he took a step towards him. His tall, wide body blocked out the light from the steps, blocking Guillermo’s only route of escape. He looked down at his familiar, so close now that his breath (not a necessity for vampires, but a force of habit) tickled Guillermo’s forehead.

“Never?” he said flatly, and the sudden noise made Guillermo jump. He felt two heavy, gloved hands on his shoulders, but he didn’t have the nerve to look up. He cursed himself for trembling again.

“Never,” he all but mouthed.

One of the hands lifted off his shoulder, leaving a cold emptiness behind. It came to rest under his chin, the movement so unexpected that Guillermo lifted his head without any coercion. He was no longer aware of anything touching him except that hand. Cold as the leather was, it filled him with a warmth that was both blissful and nauseating at the same time. Their eyes locked as the other hand came to rest against his cheek, a thumb gliding over Guillermo’s cheekbone, wiping at a tear. He shuddered.

“Guillermo?” Nandor muttered, his voice barely audible, only for him. “Do you want me…do you want me to…to kiiihh – to _kiiihhh_ -”

“Yes, Master,” Guillermo whispered, stifling a nervous laugh. He was frozen to the spot, arms hanging limp and useless at his sides. The smell of old clothes and soap, the coppery tang of blood, and something more masculine - something that made his legs go weak – permeated his nostrils.

“Very well,” Nandor murmured, pressing Guillermo to him and lowering his head.

 _This is a dream. It’s not real. It can’t be real._ Guillermo willed his brain to shut up. This was real. This was happening. He closed his eyes, his head in a daze. He felt the tickle of Nandor’s beard against his own clean-shaven chin, felt the great bulk of his body surrounding him, his scent now stronger than ever. Time seemed to slow down as he waited to feel those lips, lips he’d secretly dreamt about for so long, brush against his.

“Nice night for romance, what with the falling snow and all.”

All of a sudden an icy wind hit Guillermo, and he snapped his eyes open to find Nandor’s cape twirling away. The vampire was lunging for Colin Robinson, teeth bared and snarling, hands becoming claws. Colin leapt easily out of the way with an amused “whoa, there,” holding up his palms. He glanced at Guillermo with his typical simpering grin, and Guillermo felt his stomach drop.

“How long have you been standing here?” Nandor exclaimed, gathering himself and straightening.

Colin put his hands in his pockets. “Oh, about five minutes.”

The vampire bristled at that. He clenched his fists at his side. “Colin Robinson - I am going to fucking _kill_ you.”

“Actually, that’s against the Vampire Code,” Colin replied casually. “Section 4.5. In fact – I overheard you talking earlier about the Vampire Council’s attempts to kill you. Now I’m not telling you what to do, but if it were me? I’d avoid killing any more vampires if I could help it.” He shrugged.

“Guillermo?” Nandor said evenly.

“Yes, master?” Guillermo’s voice came out far breathier than he’d intended. But Nandor didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were blazing into Colin Robinson’s face, as if he could somehow set the man’s head alight.

“Is there anything in the Vampire Code about vampire torture?”

“Okay, okay,” Colin said, holding his hands up in feigned defeat. “I’ll go.” He slunk out of the garden’s perimeter, eyes shining blue the whole time. When he reached the steps leading into the house, a black silhouette greeted him. “Oh hey, a dog.” He reached down and began ruffling the fur on Shaddow’s neck.

Nandor let out an agitated growl and turned back to his familiar. He straightened his shoulders again and stepped forward, bringing his hand to Guillermo’s cheek once more. “Guillermo, I will kiss you now,” he proclaimed **.**

“Oh…okay.” Guillermo’s head was still high in the clouds somewhere above the falling snow; he’d hardly taken notice of what had just transpired with Colin Robinson. Nandor lowered his face to his again, but their lips never touched.

“ _Yeeuuk_ , no,” Nandor sulked, breaking away. “Sorry Guillermo. The moment is gone.” He turned stiffly and shouted down the path, “Colin Robinson, you ruined the moment!”

Colin simply lifted his hand away from Shaddow’s pelt and waved.

Nandor threw his hands up in the air, turning back to his familiar, eyes wide with fury. “Fucking _guy_!”


	7. Half-Chapter: Nandor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nandor has a heartfelt conversation with a giant cane corso.
> 
> (NOT the final chapter, just a little something as a thank you to readers so far!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a silly little half-chapter from Nandor’s POV. I only really wrote this because I wanted to write more about Shaddow, and wanted to show everyone the portrait of him that I drew. I’m a lot better known for my art on the internet than my writing, but tbh writing has always been my number one passion above all else.
> 
> I’m still finishing up the last chapter, and being very indecisive. So it’ll be another day or maybe two until it’s done. I’ll try to get around to replying to more comments tomorrow, I had a busy day today. But I really really appreciate them all, they make my day!! :D

(See Chapter Notes for more info about this chapter!)

“Guillermo? You go back inside. I have to take Shaddow pee-pee,” Nandor said dejectedly, holding the dog’s collar to make him stay.

“Oh, I can do that,” Guillermo offered with a smile. “We have to get used to each other.” He took a step towards Shaddow, who gave a little lazy wag of his tail.

But Nandor waved his familiar away. “No, you’re all cold. And you have cake waiting. Go. I’ll be in soon.”

Guillermo realised then that his master needed some time alone. He nodded down at his feet, feeling just as dispirited as Nandor sounded. Without another word, he walked up the steps and into the house.

Nandor waited for the door to shut, then plonked down onto the icy banister with a melodramatic sigh. He looked ahead into the darkness, his vision picking out every indistinct silhouette perfectly, but his mind taking no notice of anything.

“Shaddow,” he began, absently stroking at the dog’s brow. “There is a pain in my chest. But not like the pain when I was impaled with a spear by Kemal the Reckless. This is much worse.” He lifted his hand, as if to rub at the aching spot, but realised he had layers of clothes on and it wouldn’t offer much relief. “This is one of those _special_ heart pains, you know? The ones that happen when a person is feeling feelings. A _feeling_ pain.”

Shaddow made a high-pitched whine in response, staring up at his big, hairy new friend with utter curiosity.

Nandor shut his eyes briefly to try to lessen the budding ache in his head. He was not used to having to _think_ about these things. Guillermo did all the thinking! When did his familiar become such a complicated human being? Nandor groaned at the thought of seeing him again; of that tension that would now hang between them all because Colin Fucking Robinson needed to feed his perverted psychic lust.

“Fucking _Colin Robinson_!” Nandor growled. Shaddow perked his ears up at that and huffed, and Nandor resumed his stroking. “Yes, boy. Next time you see that energy-sucking vampire, you tear his balls off for me.” He thought for a second, then leaned down and quickly added in a whisper, “Don’t really do that, though. He would be even more annoying without balls.”

Shaddow whined confusedly and cocked his head to the side.

“What do we do about Guillermo? Hm?” he thought aloud.

Another whine from Shaddow, as if in response.

“No, I want to be honest with him, Shaddow. I just don’t know _how_. This whole… _feeling_ things…it’s wretched. I am Nandor the Relentless, conqueror of men and countries! Feared vampire! Devourer of the humans! Not some new-age, modern fancy man with _feelings_.” He pouted and looked down at Shaddow, who just stared back with those icy blue eyes. “Mm, you’re right, Shaddow. Maybe it is time for Nandor the Relentless to become Nandor, the Mostly Relentless. Okay, Occasionally A Bit Relenting. Very occasionally. And only a _little_ bit relenting.” He nodded at himself, satisfied, then looked down with a smile when Shaddow sighed up at him. “Thank you, Shaddow. You have been a very good friend to talk to.” He gave the dog a gentle pat on the head and stood up to join the others.


	8. Nandor the Relentless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The vampires still have one or two more surprises up their sleeves for our favourite familiar, and Nandor has some relenting to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, final chapter! I’m so nervous about posting this, but hopefully it’s a decent ending!
> 
> I’m already planning a sequel because, well, Guillermo’s life is just picking up and it would be cruel to him to stop now 😉 Plus Nandor has to learn how to be more of a gentleman…with Laszlo’s help, of course.

Guillermo welcomed the warmth of the dingy mansion, but he would have much preferred the feel of cold skin right now. The thought made him flush and he told himself to snap out of it as he made his way through the foyer and followed Nadja’s voice into the main dining room.

The room was lit by a single candelabra, the light from it dancing amongst the shadows on the back wall. The corners of the room were still swamped in darkness though, making it seem closer and cosier than it usually was. On the table, sitting in a nondescript white box, was a chocolate mud cake. It was adorned with ganache icing piped into simple floral shapes around the edges, and in the centre was a plastic topper that read “Happy Birthday” in shimmery rainbow letters. A ring of unlit, glittery candles surrounded the decoration – only about a dozen, but it was the thought that counted. Guillermo couldn’t help but grin. That was, until he looked around at his companions and spotted Colin Robinson standing beside Laszlo, hands in his pockets, watching him with that same intent readiness in which he watched everything.

“Ugh, finally!” Nadja piped up upon seeing her human housemate. “Where is Nandor?”

“Uh, Shaddow had to go pee-pee,” Guillermo said, then made a slight face as he realised how childish he sounded.

“It does not take a dog half an hour to go pee-pee,” Nadja argued. “He was supposed to fetch _you_.”

“Well, he did,” Guillermo said, and pointedly looked at the cake, just wanting to get it over with. Colin’s knowing little smile was making him very nervous. He wasn’t sure how the other two would react upon hearing about the attempted kiss. The rational part of his brain assured him that they probably wouldn’t care, but either way he’d rather not deal with it tonight, especially on top of everything else. And he certainly didn’t want to be the cause of another hissing match between Nandor and Nadja.

The thrum of strings snapped Guillermo out of his thoughts. Laszlo had his guitar resting on a knee, a pipe sticking out of his mouth. He leaned forward while he watched Colin light the candles. When the cake was finally ablaze and the energy vampire stepped back, Laszlo nodded to Nadja. Nadja grinned in return and clasped her hands against her breast, and the guitar started up a familiar tune. To Guillermo’s complete surprise, Nadja began to sing a shrill, heavily-accented rendition of the Birthday Song. He wasn’t sure what was more incredible: the fact that she was _singing_ for him and seemed to be enjoying it, or the fact that she was completely destroying the song. Who could possibly ruin the _Birthday Song_ , of all things?

Despite her high, grating voice, Guillermo kept a forced grin on his face. As they were nearing the end, he felt Shaddow’s cold, wet nose on his hand, and almost jumped out of his skin as he heard Nandor’s quiet mumbly voice picking up the song behind him. His smile turned genuine at that.

“Happy birthdays, dear Guille-izmo, happy birthdays to _you,_ ” the four vampires chorused as the guitar twanged to a stop. Nadja clapped briefly, thoroughly impressed by her performance, and sat daintily back in her seat.

“And hopefully _many_ more,” Laszlo added with a wink.

Guillermo looked over his shoulder at Nandor pointedly, but the vampire just shrugged and flashed his fangs in a strained smile. Guillermo leaned forward and blew the candles out. He had to blow twice because he was still quite breathless.

The vampires looked on as he ate a small piece of cake, Laszlo strumming his guitar tunelessly and puffing his pipe. Nadja’s face was distorted into a pout as she watched the occasional crumb fall onto Guillermo’s plate, her hands crossed over her chest petulantly.

“I’ve never had cake,” she said finally, and stuck a finger into the icing.

“I hope you’re not thinking of eating that,” Laszlo admonished.

Nadja’s pout deepened as she brought the finger to her lips and gingerly stuck her tongue out. Laszlo nearly dropped his guitar as he shot forward in his seat. “No, no, Nadja, don’t do it.”

Guillermo pushed his empty plate away and stood up, eager to get away before Nadja projectile-vomited her last bloody meal everywhere. “Thank you,” he said with an awkward, if not earnest smile. “I really appreciate what you all did for me tonight.”

“Except for _Colin_ _Robinson_ ,” Nandor hissed from behind him. The vampire was still standing off to the side, half in the shadows, his face set in a frown.

“Hey,” Colin said, putting up his hands in a gesture of peace. “I bought the cake, remember? And it wasn’t cheap. Cost me fifteen bucks. I went to an actual patisserie – Alfonso’s, on Oak Tree Road? You know the little storefront with the-”

“Shut up, Colin,” Laszlo said distractedly. He was trying to slap Nadja’s hand away from her mouth.

“You can thank Nandor, Gizmo,” Nadja grumbled, half-heartedly trying to dodge her husband’s gentle blows. “It was all his idea.”

Guillermo glanced back at his master in surprise. The vampire’s grimace had grown, and he gave another uneasy shrug. Not wanting to embarrass him further, Guillermo ducked his head to hide his smile, and gave them all a quiet goodnight. Nobody replied; Colin Robinson was now preoccupied with the vampire couple’s bickering, his eyes a glossy blue as he sat at the end of the table.

“Dear, why don’t you go wash that icing off your finger and accompany me to the bedroom?” Laszlo coaxed. “I know of a type of frosting that you can _safely_ enjoy.”

Guillermo was back in the foyer, headed for the staircase, when he heard Nandor’s disgusted “Yeeughh!” and footsteps behind him. He felt the vampire’s presence near as he climbed the stairs to his bedroom. For the hundredth time that night, his heart was beating out of his chest, and not from exertion. By the time he reached his door he was breathless from nerves and almost too afraid to face the vampire. Because it was his day off, Guillermo didn’t have to see his master to bed before dawn like he usually did; in fact, it seemed like Nandor was seeing _his familiar_ off to bed.

He silently commanded himself to turn around. The light up here on the landing was dim, but Guillermo could still make out Nandor’s sharp features, softened only by the fuzziness of his hair and beard. His teeth were visibly clenched, his fangs catching the light and flashing. His eyes were two animalistic orbs set within a dusky face. To any other human he would look formidable. To Guillermo, he just looked nonplussed, as if he weren’t quite sure what he was doing here.

Guillermo looked down at the vampire’s brocade vest and cleared his throat. “Goodnight, Master.”

A hand came out to stay him, settling on his shoulder. “Guillermo? Did you enjoy your birthday?” Nandor’s voice was unsure, and Guillermo smiled **.**

“I did.”

“Sorry about Colin Robinson.”

“T-that’s okay, Master.” The vampire’s apology had caught him off guard. He moved away, letting Nandor’s hand slide from his shoulder. But before he could reach for the door, Nandor touched his arm and gently spun him around. His eyes held a determination and volume that Guillermo rarely saw. He was clearly thinking something over, and Guillermo knew that thinking was a hard thing for his master to do.

“Guillermo,” he said, his voice enticingly low. “I have a confession to make.”

Guillermo’s head was spinning so fast he was sure he’d black out any second now. This was all too much. The scent of his master engulfed him. His cape brushed against his arms. They were so _close_ to each other; Guillermo would only have to move an inch for their noses to touch. But behind the elation buzzing around his stomach was pure anticipatory panic. The silence seemed to stretch on forever while Nandor eyed the embroidery on Guillermo’s shirt, as if it were utterly riveting. If he were a less patient man, Guillermo would have spoken up by now. _Anything_ to steady his trembling hands and temper the longing in his chest. But Guillermo was nothing if not patient.

Finally, Nandor sighed. “I know I derided you before. But in truth, it has been four hundred years since I…since I last kiihh—since I _kiiihh_.”

Guillermo let his breath out through his teeth, aware now that the pain in his chest was due partly to lack of oxygen. “I understand, Master. You don’t have to say it.”

“Thank you, Guillermo.”

“But… _four hundred_ years?” The words escaped his mouth before he could stop them. Nandor’s confession was astonishing. It made no sense that this handsome, _imposing_ creature of the night hadn’t attracted anybody’s attentions for so long. At the same time, Guillermo countered, he didn’t exactly seem like the romantic type. “That’s – I mean, I thought…” Guillermo struggled to think of something placating to say, when a thought hit him. “What about all the vampire orgies?”

“Guillermo,” Nandor said flatly, “have you not seen my dildo saddle? Anybody who takes a liking to me during an orgy is not interested in _kissing_.”

“Oh.” Guillermo adjusted his glasses self-consciously, something he did when he was embarrassed beyond reason. Why did he always let his curiosity get the better of him? He felt Nandor watching him, and he looked up at his master inquisitively.

“Guillermo?” The vampire cocked his head, shrinking the space between them. “I am Nandor the Relentless,” he murmured, almost demurely, lifting a hand to cup Guillermo’s cheek. “And I like to finish what I set out to do.”

Before either of them knew what was going on, their lips met. Guillermo closed his eyes, a little muffled squeak escaping his throat. He could have been dreaming it, but he was sure he heard a soft growl roll up from Nandor’s chest in response. They stayed like that for what seemed an eternity, eyes squeezed firmly shut, lips pressed together awkwardly. Neither knew exactly what to do next. Eventually, Nandor gently broke the kiss, his palm sweeping down Guillermo’s jaw as he did so, evoking a tremble that flashed through the man’s body like a searing bolt of lightning.

“Was that…okay?” Nandor muttered, forcing himself to meet his familiar’s eyes.

“Yes, Master,” Guillermo breathed.

“Eck. Guillermo, as much as I resent you addressing me by name, maybe in situations like this you can refrain from calling me ‘Master’. It’s a little perverted.”

Guillermo grinned in spite of himself. “Of course, M—Nandor.” The words “ _in situations like this_ ” played over and over in his mind; was Nandor implying there would be more of this? He told himself not to assume, lest he end up disappointed.

Just as he finished the thought, though, Nandor did something that surprised both of them. Spurred on by his familiar’s endearing smile, he closed the distance between them again and drove Guillermo against the door. Guillermo instinctively tossed his head back, hitting it so hard against the rough, chipped timber that he momentarily saw stars.

This time the kiss was fierce.

Guillermo clutched blindly at the hem of Nandor’s embellished cape as their lips crushed together, all remaining oxygen leaving his body. He was vaguely aware of his master’s hands seizing his shoulders, pinning him to the door, his fingertips digging deep enough into his shirt to mark his skin with crescent-shaped bruises. Nandor’s lips were cold but soft, a delicious contrast to the warm, coarse beard that tickled Guillermo’s chin and jaw. All too quickly the vampire pulled away, drawing a small whimper from his familiar. A moment later though, their lips were touching again; only this time Nandor opened his mouth and tentatively slid his tongue across Guillermo’s bottom lip, coaxing him. All Guillermo could do in response was open his mouth and emit a quiet groan. A wick of desire had coiled itself deep inside his belly, igniting the butterflies that had been fluttering in there all night. His head was reeling, his cheeks were on fire, his lips burning despite the coolness of Nandor’s touch. They explored each other’s mouths with a hunger and curiosity unlike anything Guillermo had ever imagined in his dreams.

Without breaking the kiss, Nandor shrugged back his cape, so that he could stand flush against his familiar, their bodies touching in a hundred different places. Guillermo felt an unmistakable hardness pressed firmly against his belly, and he groaned a little too loudly as his own desire snaked further down. But before he could truly revel in the feeling, Nandor hissed and broke away, taking a hurried step back.

Guillermo opened his eyes to find his master staring at him, the vampire’s eyes black as onyx, his brow furrowed intensely. It made him look truly like a creature of the night. His cape was strategically folded over his waist, and his mouth was partly open in a snarl, adding to the visage. The vampire let out a peculiar noise then, a half-moan, half-hiss, filled with both desire and unease. 

“Guillermo, you’re bleeding.”

Guillermo hadn’t felt the trickle of blood until now, and suddenly he was aware of a sharp pain in his bottom lip. He wiped at his mouth, his hand bringing away a smear of scarlet, prompting Nandor to hiss again.

“Shit,” he breathed, tearing his gaze away from his hand to look at his master again, eyes wide with worry. Had he been snagged by a fang, or had Nandor purposely bitten him?

“Perhaps you should sleep now,” the vampire said timidly. He stepped forward, and for a moment Guillermo expected a chaste kiss goodnight. But Nandor simply reached out past him and turned the doorknob. The door creaked under Guillermo’s weight and he toppled into the darkness, cursing.

“Oops. Sorry, Guillermo,” Nandor uttered.

“T-that’s okay,” Guillermo’s voice quivered as he righted himself. He stood in the darkness, gazing with reverence at the hulking vampire in his doorway. “Goodnight, Nandor.”

Nandor’s face twisted into his typical grimace. “ _Master_ , Guillermo. You address me as _Master_ when we are not…you know…doing _that_.” He made some vague gesture with his hand as if to clarify. His voice was back to its usual stern quality when he said, “Goodnight, Guillermo.”

The door shut in Guillermo’s face.

And suddenly he was alone, breathing hard, utterly confused and giddy. He turned around and fell back against the door, his legs weak. The muffled sound of long-familiar voices came drifting up from the foyer.

“Nadja, where is Shaddow?” Nandor demanded. “He has probably eaten half of the cake by now.”

“I had to take him outside to pee,” Colin said matter-of-factly. The devious smile he no doubt had plastered on his face had reached his voice. “I thought you took him to the toilet earlier, Nandor? What _were_ you doing out there that whole time?”

“Shut up, Colin _Robinsssson_. Shaddow! Come here, boy!”

Guillermo shook his head amusedly and peeled himself away from the door. He turned on his bedside lamp and sunk into his comfortable mattress, sucking at his sore lip. The coppery tang of blood settled on the tip of his tongue and he savoured it, his thoughts going back to Nadja and the cake. What would it be like, never being able to eat human food again? Three hundred, seven hundred, a _thousand_ years, and not ever being able to enjoy another slice of cake on a special occasion?

Nandor’s passionate speech came back to him and filled Guillermo with a fuzzy warmth deep in his belly, one that had been so foreign to him before tonight. His master was right. Before Guillermo could embrace death and become a vampire, he had to at least make an attempt at _living_. He was thirty now, in the proverbial prime of his life. He didn’t know when Nandor would turn him, if he ever decided to. He hoped it was soon – before he reached thirty-five, preferably. But he promised himself that before the time came, he would try to make the most of each day.

He was still wearing his dress shirt and jeans, but he was too exhausted and mentally drained to strip. Guillermo kicked off his shoes and shimmied under the covers, his heart and his breathing finally slowed to a normal pace. He didn’t want to think about what would happen tomorrow night, when the buzz of celebration had worn off for everyone. For Nandor. Perhaps they would go back to being their usual demanding selves, the occasion forgotten with the passing of a day. Or perhaps Nandor would never look him in the eye again. Perhaps, even…

_Don’t think about that,_ Guillermo scolded himself as he reached over and flicked off the lamp. _He won’t kick me out. Or find a new familiar. He said he cares about me. And then he kissed me._

_Holy shit._

_He kissed me._

As he turned onto his side and burrowed further under his blanket, Guillermo heard the soft tick-tick-tick of Shaddow’s footsteps outside his door, followed by a great thump and sigh as the dog flumped down to sleep at his doorstep. And for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Guillermo felt safe enough to sink down into a deep, dreamless sleep. Smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! It has truly been a pleasure. Your comments have kept me going, it sounds dorky but I grin from ear to ear whenever I read them. If I don't reply to them all I just want to thank everyone for the warm welcome and I hope you enjoyed <3


	9. Where we Lay in the Shadows: Preview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little something something while I work on the sequel ;)

The edges of the mirror were frosted with steam, but Guillermo had wiped much of it away with his towel, revealing his face and chest. He’d put on his glasses so that he could see, but the rest of him was still naked. His hair was plastered to his forehead, bronze skin glistening with water and sweat. Light from the single hanging bulb cast its fingers through the steam, illuminating one side of his face. His breathing began to slow to a normal speed as he stared at his reflection, taken aback.

He liked what he saw.

He was the same old Guillermo, of course. Still human. Nothing about his physical appearance had changed. Nothing very noticeable, anyway. Except he wasn’t _quite_ the same, was he? His eyes were darker than usual, his pupils blown out with the afterglow of lovemaking. He felt stronger and more confident than he ever had before; Nandor had shown him a side of himself that he didn’t even know existed. A side of himself that he was very much beginning to enjoy.

His tongue slid absently across his bottom lip, feeling the sting of several cuts as it went. His chest was scratched raw, the skin slightly torn in places. Blood coursed down his chest from two deep puncture wounds in his right shoulder. It mixed with the droplets that had travelled down from his wet hair, turning the water pink. The throbbing in his shoulder felt delicious. He could still taste his own blood on his lips; could still make out his master’s scent on his skin, accented by the floral aroma of soap.

Behind him, the shower turned off, and there was movement that he heard rather than saw.

“Guillermo, look!” Nandor exclaimed. Guillermo glanced past his reflection to the space behind him, where rivulets of water cascaded from thin air, following invisible contours shaped suspiciously like a man. “I am a ghostly waterfall! WoooOOooo!”

Guillermo’s face broke out in a grin, one that reached his eyes and dissolved the lust that had been there moments ago.

Yeah...

He could get used to this.


End file.
